Chapter 636: Chapter 635: False Prisoner Swap
"Prepare the dragon carriage! Enter the Heavenly Prison!" As soon as these six words from His Majesty were uttered, there was a soft roar. Behind the Imperial Palace, eight dragon horses soared into the sky, pulling a Heavenly Surveyor’s chariot and landing outside the hall. His Majesty, taking the Prime Minister and the Left Grand Master, strode away. Alongside the dragon horses, eight guards simultaneously bowed, "Please board the vessel, Your Majesty!"
With a gloomy face, His Majesty boarded the dragon carriage and stood at the highest point.
The Prime Minister and the Left Grand Master also boarded the vessel, standing below him.
The dragon carriage, in the night sky, radiated a brilliant light, sweeping over half the city and landing at the Heavenly Prison.
As soon as the Prison Director Sun Chong saw the dragon carriage in the sky, he hurried to greet it, kneeling with a thud, "Prison Director Sun Chong, leading all officials above the fourth rank of the Heavenly Prison, humbly welcomes Your Majesty!"
Thud!
All the officials knelt together.
Swish!
All soldiers held their guns in salute.
His Majesty on the dragon carriage descended step by step to stand before Sun Chong.
Inside, Sun Chong’s excitement surged, "Your Majesty, I have already investigated thoroughly, and the evidence of Song Lifu’s prisoner exchange is irrefutable. Would Your Majesty like to see for yourself?"
His Majesty’s gaze slowly lifted, staring at the passage of the Heavenly Prison.
The whole place was silent.
In the still night, footsteps arose—it was the marching of the Forbidden Army.
Soon, a large group of soldiers escorted two individuals before His Majesty.
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Song Lifu, was full of confusion on his face.
The Seventh Prince, Hong Yun, also had a look of doubt.
"This humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty!" Song Lifu knelt below the steps.
"This son pays respects to Father Emperor!" The Seventh Prince, Hong Yun, also knelt.
"Do you know your crimes?" His Majesty’s voice was deep, yet carried an immense pressure.
Song Lifu said, "This humble servant was normally off duty and on the way home, when inexplicably apprehended by the Forbidden Army. Truly, I do not know what crime I have committed. I hope Your Majesty will enlighten me!"
The Seventh Prince, Hong Yun, said, "Father Emperor, I likewise do not know what crime I have committed. Please enlighten me as well."
"Enlighten you? Very well! I shall enlighten the both of you!" His Majesty’s body gradually leaned forward, "You two have exchanged prisoners in the Heavenly Prison! Ignoring national laws, the matter has already come to light!"
Each word of the final sentence was pronounced heavily!
Song Lifu suddenly lifted his head, an elderly face full of astonishment, "Your Majesty, I am wronged! As the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, how could I not know that heavy criminals in the Heavenly Prison must not be exchanged due to personal relations? How dare I exchange prisoners in the Heavenly Prison?"
"You wouldn’t dare?" The Prime Minister stepped forward, "There are eyewitnesses and material evidence, and you still dare to argue?"
Song Lifu was furious, "The Prime Minister has learned to smear people out of thin air? As you say, I exchanged prisoners, who were exchanged? Where is the evidence?"
"Master Sun! Tell him!" The Prime Minister gestured towards Sun Chong.
Sun Chong spoke, "Your Majesty, I personally witnessed Master Song, under the pretext of inspecting the Heavenly Prison, dismissing everyone around, and replaced Xuelong in the Heavenly Prison with his own personal guards. I sent someone to follow them and personally saw Master Song send the criminal Xuelong to the Prince Dingbei Mansion, where the Deputy Guard Leader Guo Da is currently standing guard outside Xuelong’s room."
"Nonsense!" Song Lifu was furious, "Sun Chong, you dare to slander your superior and frame the prince? You seek death!"
"Impudent!" The Prime Minister stepped forward, "Song Lifu, you violated national laws first, yet still dare to act condescendingly towards the loyal Master Sun?"
"Prime Minister, as the Prime Minister, you do not discern right from wrong. Slandering a subordinate is minor, but framing a prince is severe..."
"Silence!" His Majesty spat out two words, silencing the entire place.
Song Lifu slowly raised his head, "Your Majesty, Sun Chong falsely accuses me of exchanging prisoners, and the Prime Minister uses his position to suppress me, wishing me to yield. I am unable to defend myself and hope Your Majesty will see for yourself to correct this!"
His Majesty’s gaze slowly rose, "Sun Chong!"
"This humble servant is here!"
"Lead the way ahead!"
"By your command!"
His Majesty personally entered the Heavenly Prison. Inside, guards on both sides knelt down simultaneously, while His Majesty, with a somber face, walked through the long corridor. Ahead was a cell, and outside the cell was a plaque marked with the character "Heaven".
This was the highest-level "Heaven" prison in the Heavenly Prison.
It was specifically used to detain major rebels.
Xuelong, as the commander of three hundred thousand troops and a cultivation expert, naturally justified being at this highest level.
When His Majesty arrived in front of the cell, the prisoner inside was curling up, lying in the straw.
His Majesty lightly raised a hand, and two Imperial Guards opened the cell.
They lifted the person on the ground.
Raised his head.
This person’s face was a mess, entirely obscured, but it was visible that his beard was fake. It looked like Xuelong’s signature circle of facial hair, but this beard was matted with blood and half had already been torn off.
"Who are you? Confess truthfully!" Sun Chong demanded.
The person kept his eyes closed, saying nothing.
"Before His Majesty, confess immediately!" the Imperial Guard commanded.
The person’s eyes suddenly opened.
When these eyes opened, they shot cold light, a unique aura from the battlefield spreading around.
His Majesty was suddenly startled.
The Prime Minister was also suddenly startled.
This...
This was clearly Xuelong!
Others might only remember Xuelong for his ring of facial hair, but the Emperor himself had a keen feeling for his eyes. The day he dispatched him to guard the Northwest Zhuyun Platform, seeing those eyes, His Majesty felt a deep confidence in him. Perhaps this was a unique way for an Emperor to view people—by their eyes.
At this moment, this supposed impostor labeled as exchanged was actually the real one?
"Xuelong!" Song Lifu spoke, "A villain has reported to His Majesty, falsely accusing me of exchanging you from the Heavenly Prison. Why not truthfully inform His Majesty whether this is slander?"
"Prisoner exchange?" Xuelong laughed heartily, "Would they tarnish my master Song’s clear reputation with the wrecked body of Xuelong?"
"Tarnishing my lifelong reputation is trivial, but the villain harbors greater ambitions, intending to place the Seventh Prince in peril. Therefore, Xuelong, you need to prove you are yourself!" Song Lifu said coldly.
"A criminal proving himself to be himself! That’s simple!" Xuelong’s body shook, and his clothes split into pieces, revealing his chest and back, covered with scars.
"Your Majesty, the injury to my elixir field was inflicted by an assassin when Your Majesty inspected the Jiangzuo Camp. Your Majesty personally touched the scar back then, praising my loyalty as a model for the military. I wonder if this penetrative sword wound can prove I am myself?"
Your Majesty’s face was livid!
This is General Xuelong’s self-vindication.
And how is this not General Xuelong’s sanguine lament?
On that day, during Your Majesty’s inspection of Jiangzuo, you were suddenly ambushed by assassins. The assassins were extremely insidious, setting up a deceptive formation that shielded against the Imperial Seal’s might and blocked the army’s aid, luring away the masters beside Your Majesty to deliver a fatal strike.
It was General Xuelong who bravely risked his life, fighting desperately, that held on until reinforcements arrived.
In that battle, General Xuelong’s Elixir Field and Qi Sea were pierced by a sword, crippling his cultivation, yet Your Majesty personally arranged for the Tianxiang Duanxu technique to restore his Elixir Field and Qi Sea.
General Xuelong now brings up the past.
To Your Majesty’s ears, it has taken on a completely different tone.
He clearly felt General Xuelong’s anger.
The one who risked his life and has merits in saving the Emperor is now locked in the Heavenly Prison!
Your Majesty’s gaze slowly lifted...
Everyone around was trembling in fear...
Prime Minister Chen Zhengdao’s heart was pounding wildly.
The Left Grand Master Zhou He furrowed his brows tightly.
What is happening?
Sun Chong asserted confidently that Song Lifu had already swapped the prisoner, but now, clearly, it’s still General Xuelong in the cell; when was there ever a swap?
If General Xuelong is still here, the trouble is immense!
Sun Chong knelt down with a thud, banging his head on the ground desperately: "Your Majesty, this person’s beard is a pasted-on fake beard, he... he must be an impostor! I hope Your Majesty will not... be deceived by him."
The Prime Minister stepped forward: "Indeed, when something abnormal happens, there must be something suspicious. You should explain why you pasted on a fake beard, was it perhaps to maliciously mock His Majesty?"
"Has Prime Minister ever read the ’Ritual Scripture’?" General Xuelong said: "The body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents. Imprisoned because of my parents, I plucked my beard to show my suffering with them. Is it right or wrong?"
The Prime Minister took a deep breath: "But why did you paste each hair back on if not to maliciously mislead?"
"For the dignity of the court! That is all!"
The dignity of the court!
General Xuelong plucked his beard because he was helpless in facing his parents being imprisoned, resorting only to this method to share in their suffering.
However, if this plucking of the beard were discovered by the people of Beijing, it would surely cause a stir, attracting public empathy for his tragic act and questioning the court’s wisdom.
Therefore, the cut beard was reattached to preserve the court’s dignity.
If one indicates filial piety, the other represents loyalty.
A farce of plucking and attaching the beard reflects General Xuelong’s balance of loyalty and filial piety.
The Prime Minister was left speechless.
Zhou He’s back was drenched with sweat.
Sun Chong was trembling all over, vaguely feeling that he... he had fallen into a trap!
He had preconceived the notion that Song Lifu would enter the Heavenly Prison today to carry out a grand scheme of prisoner exchange. Every detail of Song Lifu seemed like the prisoner exchange; as soon as he left, Sun Chong began the inspection, and upon plucking off the beard, he was fully convinced, after all, he wasn’t well acquainted with General Xuelong. General Xuelong remained silent, eyes unopened, muddied-faced, and the beard removal made him look completely different from usual, yet, it happened to be him!
He was utterly convinced that this was a counter-plot by General Xuelong and Song Lifu, but now, in front of Your Majesty, the situation had escalated so much; what will happen to him?
"Framing a superior, framing a prince! An unforgivable sin!" Your Majesty said in a deep voice: "Men!"
"Present!"
"Strike this evil criminal to death on the spot!"
"Your Majesty..." Sun Chong screamed...
Bang!
A wooden staff came slamming down on Sun Chong’s head.
Sun Chong’s head was utterly smashed.
Even his upper body turned into minced meat.
Thud!
The Prime Minister and the Left Grand Master knelt simultaneously.
Their faces were splattered with his brain matter, and they didn’t dare wipe it.
The Prime Minister’s voice trembled: "Your Majesty, this old subject was negligent, blindly believing in the report of the traitorous Sun, startling Your Majesty in the dead of night, deserving a thousand deaths, I plead for Your Majesty’s punishment."
"This old subject was blinded by poor sight, mistakenly believing the words of a traitor, disturbing Your Majesty, it’s a grave sin, I plead for Your Majesty’s punishment!" Zhou He also said.
Your Majesty’s gaze slowly rose, fixing firmly on Song Lifu: "Song Aiqing!"
"Your humble servant is here!"
"Do not let today’s incident weigh on your heart! After all, the Prime Minister and the Left Grand Master were merely deceived by a treacherous person, and their accusation against you was just them fulfilling their duty."
"I dare not!" Song Lifu said.
Your Majesty nodded slightly and strode out of the Heavenly Prison.
"Your Majesty, please return!"
The Dragon Horse took to the sky, returning to the Imperial Palace.
The Prime Minister, Left Grand Master, Song Lifu, and the Seventh Prince left the Heavenly Prison simultaneously.
It was already approaching the chou hour.
The Prime Minister smiled as he walked towards Song Lifu: "Master Song, today’s events were all misunderstandings, please do not hold grudges."
"I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!" Song Lifu said: "Given the urgent report and such a dire matter, how could the Prime Minister as the chief assistant not submit it overnight? Instead of harboring resentment, I deeply respect your diligence for the nation."
"Master Song, I take my leave now!"
"To both masters, have a safe trip!" Song Lifu bowed to bid farewell.
Both masters climbed onto their official sedan chairs and returned to their respective residences.
The Seventh Prince retracted his gaze from afar and turned to Song Lifu: "It’s quite awkward now, the duty shift is too early, and I suppose Master Song cannot sleep even if returning to rest, why not come to my mansion for a visit?"
"That sounds good!" The sedan chairs headed straight to Prince Dingbei Mansion.